Jonny Greenwood Doubles Down on Stance That Music Is “Above and Beyond” Politics

By wazup on February 20, 2026 No Comments / 13 views

Jonny Greenwood has reaffirmed his stance that politics should not define artistic collaboration.

In a recent interview with The Times, the Radiohead guitarist addressed controversy over his collaborative relationship with Israeli singer Dudu Tassa and performances in Israel.

“It’s very hard to talk about this,” Greenwood admitted, “but I think music and art should be above and beyond political concerns. You know I made an album [2023’s Jarak Qaribak] involving Israeli, Iraqi, Egyptian and Syrian musicians?”

He continued, “If I’m supposed to stop working with musicians because I dislike their governments then I wouldn’t work with any of them. The fact is, what defines us as musicians isn’t our nationalities. But that point doesn’t seem to get through.”

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Greenwood is married to Israeli artist Sharona Katan, who recently lost a nephew serving in the Israel Defense Forces during Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. He has performed in Israel several times over the years, both with Tassa and as a member of Radiohead.

These latest comments build on the defiant stance Greenwood took in an October 2025 interview with The Sunday Times, where he framed the backlash to his continued collaborations with Israeli musicians and performances in Tel Aviv as “the embodiment of the left.”

According to Greenwood, it actually “feels progressive” to work with Israeli and Middle Eastern musicians. “Look, I have been to antigovernment protests in Israel and you cannot move for all the ‘Fuck Ben-Gvir’ stickers,” he added. “I spend a lot of time there with family and cannot just say, ‘I’m not making music with you fuckers because of the government.’ It makes no sense to me. I have no loyalty — or respect, obviously — to their government, but I have both for the artists born there.”

Greenwood said a boycott of Israel was also “far more dangerous” because the government would likely use it as an excuse to say, ‘Everyone hates us — we should do exactly what we want.’”

Meanwhile, his Radiohead bandmate Thom Yorke’s stance has evolved after being heckled by a pro-Palestine audience member during a solo concert in Melbourne, Australia. While continuing to condemn “witch hunts,” Yorke said in the same Sunday Times interview that Radiohead would “absolutely not” perform in Israel because he wouldn’t “want to be within 5,000 miles of the Netanyahu regime.”

Outside of his politics, Greenwood will be up for a Best Music (Original Score) Oscar for One Battle After Another at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15th.